What's the difference if he's taking an offensive faceoff or a defensive faceoff? It's still a damn faceoff against Crosby, Malkin and so on and not against some no name!
He will still learn!
Even when you get mainly offensive zone starts you still need to defend because you're not winning your faceoffs at 100%.
You guys are overcomplicating things IMO.
He's getting ice time, he plays on the PP, it's fine... Let him go and learn...
He played 57:10 minutes 5on5 so far Drouin is at 63:33!!!
Dude, relax. I'm trying to have a civil discussion here with you.
There
is a difference between offensive zone faceoff situations and defensive zone faceoff situations. They arent the same at all, which is exactly why coaches shelter players in the first place. If there wasnt a difference, coaches wouldn't have any reason to not want to play center X for a defensive zone draw. The act of dropping the puck and winning the draw is the same, but the situations, which I'm talking about, are completely different.
Also, he hasn't been taking faceoffs and playing against top players in the most recent games if I remember correctly. And he was taken off the power play entirely at the end of last game... against Detroit... in a game where we were destroying them. I hope that isnt a sign of things to come, but it is partially what sparked my initial concerns. Since the season opener, it seems like he's being increasingly sheltered, to me at least.
Its not a question of whether he can handle it either. He's proven that he can. It's a question of whether Julien is willing to rely on an 18 year old to take on those tough assignments, which he's been increasingly reluctant to do in the most recent matches. This is exactly why I said: "
IF the Habs are going to shelter him heavily and relegate him to the 3rd line, I think it would be better for his development if he were to play a bigger role with more responsibility in the AHL."
You guys see people suggesting the AHL might be a better option for him developmentally and then fly off the handle instead of addressing my actual points. Stop assuming that everyone thinks he sucks just because they'd rather see an 18 year old develop in the AHL, especially after the amount of development disasters this team has seen over the past decade. Bergevin said it himself; "The NHL isnt a development league." The AHL is just that. Like it or not, there is a sound argument to be made for wanting to see him in the AHL.
I'm not saying he's playing like shit. I'm not saying he can't handle playing against opposing top 6 talent. I'm not saying he cant develop in the NHL. I'm not saying he hasn't had ice time. I'm saying that
IF the Habs decide to shelter him heavily and relegate him to the 3rd line, then I'd rather see him in the AHL.